[Saiahma]

I'm a nightowl by nature and my mom never set a specific bedtime for me (I would be up reading all night anyhow...) I don't have a set time for DS 6 either and I'm wondering if that's weird. During the school year, he goes to bed around 9pm. He gets up easily in the morning (around 7am)Now that it's summer break, he's usually up later. Last night he was playing with some big kids(11-12) nextdoor until about 9pm, playing basketball with them, he was having a great time. When it was time to go in, I was talking to another mom and she said her 7yr old goes to bed at 8pm and she didn't know how I could keep Isaiah up so late....I don't start work until 9:30, so he can sleep until 8am if he wants (he's usually up earlier though). I don't get home until 6:30, so by the time we eat it's about 7:30 and then I would like him to have some play time outside before bed....So when do your kids go to sleep??

 

[Marsupialmom]

I would say as long as your child is happy, healthy, and not being a crab don't worry about it. If he wakes up with out a problem and on his own he is most likely getting enough sleep.

Some children need a lot of sleep and need early bedtime. That lady's bedtime most likely works for her family because when they don't go to bed early she has a "monster". So her way is not wrong either.

I put my kids down at 9 because of the "monster" and because of the mommy/daddy time issue.

 

[EFmom]

My kids have an 8pm bedtime during the school year. If left to their own devices, they would stay up all night. But we use ps and we both work out of the home, so everyone must be up early in the morning. Even with the 8pm bed time, neither one ever wakes on their own.

 

[Colorful~Mama]

nods. during the year i do enforce a 10pm bedtime for my teen. otherwise she'll stay up till midnight watching movies and won't function at school the next day. My almost 4yo has a bedtime too - 8:30pm. sometimes its 8:45, othertimes its 8:15, but thereabouts. we know thats when she naturally gets tired and try to go with that.

same with our son. he's 11mos and sometimes its earlier if he didn't nap or if we swim etc, but generally at 8pm he's ready to go down for the night and if he'll go, i nurse him down so i can spend some time with dd before her internal clock kicks in and she tells me 'its time for me to go to bed mama' lol

 

[CTMOMOF2]

ds (3 1/2) doens't have a set bedtime, but i say to him all the time "its past your bedtime!!" he doesn't know what TIME is bedtime, so it doesn't really matter. He goes to bed anywhere between 7:30 - 9:00 on any given day it can be different. If he takes a nap, he'll be up till 11pm or later!! Since when he naps it is always at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon and always sleeps for 4 hours!! I would LOVE it if he would go down every night at 8pm... but that would mean a lot of work for me and dh... since we have to go lay down with him in order to get him to go to bed... so sometimes we do it at 7:30 if he's had a busy day, other days we don't get around to it until 9pm...

 

[librarymom]

During the school year, we send the older kids upstairs at 10. They can read for about half an hour or so and the "lights out". I have twins that are 7, and they often talk and giggle for awhile. DD is 11 and she'll read longer. In the summr, no real bedtime b/c they can sleep in. I am a night person too, so we don't really care as long as they are healthy and not crabby.

 

[UnschoolnMa]

Mine have no bedtime other than what they decide for themselves. We have always encouraged them to pay attention to their internal messages on everything, fatigue included. My daughter (10) is usually asleep between 11 and midnight. My son (about to turn 13) and I are often up until 2 am or so. They also know how to adjust their sleeping needs based on what is going on in thier lives. If we have things to do early in the am (appointments etc) they get more rest, or if they have been sick they know they need more sleep to help their bodies recover.

Kristi

 

[woobysma]

DS is 6 1/2 and goes to bed at about 9:00 - we start getting ready at about 8:30 - this time of year the sun doesn't go down until after 9, so it's hot and hard to get him to sleep before then.
But we also follow his ques - if we're having fun and he's happy, we might stay up until 10-10:30 (as long as there's nothing urgent going on in the morning) - if he's getting rude and cranky, he usually gets a bath to calm down and then goes to bed early so he can read and relax on his own until he falls asleep.

 

[Alkenny]

My kids (age 8 and 11) go to bed around 9 this time of year. (They have curfew of 7pm or dark year round, whichever comes first.) During the school year, they go to bed at 8 but can read or watch tv until 9pm in their room (lights out).

Up until 2 years ago, they went to BED at 7pm and would sleep 12 hours straight. The baby sleeps 7pm-7am right now even (his own schedule, but WHEW!)

 

[QueeTheBean]

This is one thing I am pretty inflexible about. My kids both start going to bed at 7:30. The little one (2) nurses & is in bed before 8. THe older one (almost 6) hears books, then plays quietly by himself & is in bed to sleep by 8:15 or so.

They are both total crabs if they don't get enough sleep. They have never complained about going to bed, either! We do let the older one stay up late on special occasion--i.e., out of town guests, etc. And we are SOMEWHAT more lax about it during the summertime. But in general, I really do try to stick to a pretty strict bed time. It makes us all happier! (By the way, I, myself, am in bed by 9:30

)

 

[TerriKay]

During the school year, my 8yo dd goes to bed at 9:00 or close to it. But this time of year, she slides to 9:30 or so most nights. Special occasions are even later. It is hard to get to sleep when it is still light outside and the boys next door are still playing outside. I usually don't get home from work until 6 or 7, and sometimes we don't even eat dinner until 8 or 8:30, so I don't mind her staying up later if it means I get to spend a little time w/ her.
TerriKay

 

[mamalisa]

My ds is 3 1/2 and he goes to bed between 10 and midnight. Dh usually gets home from work around 6 so this gives us more family time. Since I stay home he can sleep as late as he wants, usually around 10, but today it was 1130. We've always had a later schedule than most people, we always get looks when we're out to dinner with ds at 9pm.

 

[manitoba_mommy]

My kids have to be in their rooms, in pjs haveing quiet time by 8 -8:30. Well, other then the baby of course.
My dh and I need the time from 8 till bed (usualy 10-10:30) to reconnect and spent time together.
The kids can read or play quietly in their rooms as late as they want, but when they go to their rooms is pretty firm.

MM

 

[1xmom]

My dd is 4 and I try to get her to start winding down around 7:30, but she is in bed no later than 8:30-9. On weekends she is up a little later. She has to get up in the morning by 6:30 and some mornings are harder than others (when allergies or sinus' keep her up). Usually on weekends she is in bed by 9 or 10 and sleeps until 7:30 or so. She also still needs an afternoon nap or else by 6 she can no longer function. I've tried letting her go w/o a nap, and right now it's just not possible.

 

[BCmommy]

Ds,age 8, is in bed every night by 8. I think it is important to have a stable schedule to depend on. He needs about 12 hours sleep per night. TBH, I have never understood when people say they can't get their kids to sleep/the kids stay up all night. If it bothers you, put them to bed at the same time every night. Eventually it will become routine. Its like they expect kids to come with bulit in clocks and to put themselves to bed alone.

 

[UnschoolnMa]

Actually, I did expect them to come with built in clocks and put themselves to sleep (well, not that I didn't snuggle up with them and show them some ways to get sleep ready) The children have been raised to trust their internal clock, and understand their own bodies and needs. They do put themselves to bed

Kristi

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCmommy Ds,age 8, is in bed every night by 8. I think it is important to have a stable schedule to depend on. He needs about 12 hours sleep per night. TBH, I have never understood when people say they can't get their kids to sleep/the kids stay up all night. If it bothers you, put them to bed at the same time every night. Eventually it will become routine. Its like they expect kids to come with bulit in clocks and to put themselves to bed alone.

 

[Fieryfly]

We have based our kid's bedtimes around their natural body clock. They go to bed around the same time each night(around the time they are consistently showing signs of tiredness) at our insistence, and my youngest usually wakes up earlier than the oldest. Most of the time they are able to wake up on their own, so they get as much sleep as they need. As they have grown, and through the seasons we adjust bedtimes to different times of the evening. Nothing is set in stone, its just part of our family routine.

 

[ktmama]

Gosh, I think so much depends on the child's personality. My dd literally has a meltdown without some sort of consistent and predictable routine. As she has gotten older, she's been able to recognize her needs more and create her own routines. However, when she was younger, I definitely needed to enforce a schedule, especially a night time routine. She just does so much better, is calmer and happier if she knows what to expect. I would have loved to have a child who could "go with the flow" more. But, even in summer, she needs to be asleep by 8:30.

 

[EMZ]

My 3 yr old goes to bed when she's tired. She doesn't have to get up at any specific time in the morning so her waking up too early isn't a problem. I'm sure when she gets into school there will be a strict bedtime but that is several years away yet.